The newest staff member in the Fairfield City School District is of the four-legged, furry kind.

Naddi, a 2-year-old female German shepherd, was hired Saturday to assist the district with school security, administrators said.

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She is currently being trained to detect pharmaceutical and illegal drugs, as well as gun powder. She is one of only three dogs trained to detect pharmaceutical drugs in the country, Warren County Drug Task Force and national president of NADDI Cmdr. John Burke said.

Naddi is a detection dog only and is not trained to attack or bite.

Officials said most of her time will be spent patrolling the halls and parking areas at Fairfield Senior High School, but she will also be used at the freshman and middle schools.

The district said a $5,000 grant from the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigations was provided to offset the dog's $10,000 cost.

"This is a great opportunity to receive support from an organization that sees this as a need. We've been in discussion with local law enforcement agencies and they are supportive of the idea. We will continue to seek sponsorships from community resources to assist with this purchase," Superintendent Paul Otten said.

"It's a credit to the district to have the foresight to do this," Burke said. "It makes total sense for the district to have a tool like this. Fairfield is doing something truly unique."

Naddi will work and live with handler Randy Johnson, a security monitor at the high school.

"We'll take the dog to visit all of our schools to introduce Naddi and to educate them on the dangers of drugs," Otten said. "This is a chance for us to provide additional protection to every child that walks through our doors. We are excited to provide an increased level of protection for our students, and staff in the area of drug and weapon detection."